It’s time once more for a fresh start, as Diablo 4’s Season 8 is on its way, beginning on April 29, 2025! Today we’ve gathered around the virtual campfire to discuss all the insights gained from the Public Test Realm (PTR) and what exciting changes await us in this new season.
Join us as we delve into the intriguing storyline and gameplay innovations surrounding Belial, the Master of Deceit, the main focus of Season 8. Players can look forward to encountering unique obstacles and earning formidable ‘boss powers’ in this seasonal expansion. Let’s get started!
Belial’s Return and the Seasonal questline
In the upcoming season, Belial’s return introduces a fresh narrative for seasonal gamers, with assistance from two new companions: Sayeena, a former Vizjerei sorceress, and Jarius, a knight hailing from the Cathedral of Light. To embark on the Lord of Lies questline, make your way to the Stranger located in Kyovashad’s city center near the Waypoint. Ensure you have finished Diablo 4’s main campaign and created a fresh character within the Seasonal Realm.
Boss Powers will be the Seasonal theme
In this novel mechanic, gamers can seize unique abilities from vanquished bosses, encompassing both World and Lair Bosses. Each Boss’s power comes with a primary effect and additional adjustments, providing flexibility for players to test distinct game builds. Players may opt to activate one Main Power and as many as three Modifiers at once.
Apparition Incursions will pit you against Belial’s manifestations
As a researcher delving into these occurrences, I’m investigating instances connected to the enigmatic figure known as Belial. In these instances, players engage in battles against his manifestations. Successfully completing these encounters yields valuable rewards and provides chances to acquire new Boss Powers.
Characters at any difficulty level are welcome to partake in this event. The event shifts to a different area of Sanctuary every few minutes, so keep a close watch on your map for its current location.
Everything you need to know about the Lair Boss rework
In Season 8, a new method for encountering Endgame Bosses is introduced, discarding the old ladder system. Instead, we have Lair Bosses categorized into three levels of difficulty and rewards:
Easy-to-challenge Lair Bosses – require 12 keys to summon
- Beast in the Ice
- Grigoire
- Lord Zir
- Varshan
- Urivar (Vessel of Hatred required).
Greater Lair Bosses – cost 3 keys to summon
- Andariel
- Duriel
- Harbinger of Hatred (Vessel of Hatred required).
Exalted Lair Bosses – cost 2 keys to summon
- Belial, Lord of Lies
Starting at Torment Difficulty 1, all Lair Bosses can be encountered without the need for summoning materials. Instead, when a boss is defeated, it will drop a Hoard chest that each party member must open separately using Lair Boss Keys. These keys are used to unlock the chest individually. First-time kills of these bosses guarantee unique drops, and higher difficulties or larger parties increase the likelihood and amount of unique rewards. This change should significantly reduce excess items in your stash from past boss farming sessions.
In your activities such as opening Helltide Chests, venturing into Nightmare Dungeons, or confronting World Bosses, you’ll find an increased chance of obtaining Boss Keys. Additionally, Lairs now have distinctive map markers and a direct teleport option for easy access.
Supreme Belial stands as the toughest adversary, demanding particular items like the Betrayer’s Husk to be unlocked. Overcoming him grants you rare treasures, including Ancestral Uniques.
The developers have shared that this new setup is designed to make the bosses more lucrative, with improvements based on player feedback since the PTR for Season 8.
Season Journey and Battle Pass simplified
Instead of obtaining Smoldering Ashes via the Battle Pass, you’ll now earn them directly through the Season Journey during the new season. These ashes are essential for enhancing your Seasonal Benefits, such as XP bonuses, increased reputation towards seasonal rewards, and so on. The process has been streamlined to make it easier than in previous seasons.
Reliquaries, the new Battle Pass system
Season 8 introduces fresh Legendary Features such as Aspects, Unique Items, and cosmetics. A Battle Pass named ‘Reliquaries’ offers extra perks, while the in-game store grows with more personalization options.
In the images provided, you can observe that Reliquaries are divided into sections: Belial’s Return, Weapons, Beasts, and Armor.
Belial’s Return is a free Battle Pass Reliquary, meaning it doesn’t need Platinum to access, and players even have the chance to unlock some Platinum within it. The other 3 Reliquaries can be bought with Platinum at 200, 500, or 800 Platinum each, or as part of the Battle Pass bundle for 1000 Platinum.
To unlock rewards, you’ll need to accumulate favor points, which are typically earned by playing the game, just like previous Battle Passes. You can store up to 99 favor tokens and will have to use these before receiving more, but they carry over to future season battle passes if unused (up to the 99 limit).
Beyond the Diablo x Berserk crossover launching in the game on May 6, you’ll find it listed under the Event Reliquaries section.
The Diablo 4 Roadmap
The initial Diablo 4 blueprint, unveiled several weeks ago, has garnered a range of reactions. However, the developers want to clarify that this roadmap was intentionally left open-ended and will undergo further developments over the next year. Essentially, they view it as a foundation that will be expanded upon. In other words, there’s more to look forward to than what’s currently planned.
Additional updates
Summarized points from the question and answer portion of the developer chat below:
- Conduit Shrines removed.
- Obol Gambler buffed.
- Leveling Glyphs made easier.
- Lair Boss Keys remain tradeable.
- Balance changes to roll out faster.
- The levelling will not be as slow as it was in PTR.
- Mythic Unique drop rates increase as players progress through the difficulty levels.
How to start Season 8
To enjoy all the fresh content we have prepared, remember that seasonal characters are essential. So, don’t forget to gear up and dive into the Seasonal World starting from April 29th. Are you ready to join us in this adventure?
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2025-04-24 23:10